Our granddaddy, Eugene Sheffield, was a strong willed native born Waller County Texan. He acquired his nickname "Red", very simply, because of his red hair. This trait was repeated throughout his siblings, their children and to all generations forward. They credit this to their mother, Caroline. The family had a strong work ethic that surpassed all the usual descriptive words. This was developed because they were farmers and the Sheffield land would only yield as much as the Sheffields worked it. They also harvested and sold the timber from the land. The Sheffield sense of humor was a great family trait. Laughter was a staple any time the family gathered together. Eugene enjoyed fishing, coon hunting, playing the juice harp, whittling, banging on an old guitar and singing to the top of his lungs. He also enjoyed telling stories about his life. He could intrigue the youngest listener and entertain anyone hearing his tales. In his golden years he would dress in a clown suit and appear in the Waller County Fair Parade. Helping others enjoy life was always his goal.

Eugene married his God-sent wife, Dorothy Taylor, on March 15th, 1920. They enjoyed 58 years together. They suffered a heartache early in their marriage when Dorothy gave premature birth to their only son, Ebbie. Later our mother, Zelma was born in 1922. Granddaddy and our mother loved dancing together. They entered and won dance contests in East Texas when mom was a teenager. Grandmama and Granddaddy Sheffield adored being grandparents. The three of us reaped the joy and love of that priceless reward.

Eugene served in the US Army in World War I and was a "foot soldier" in the Allied conflicts of France. He returned home and went to work in the oil field during the boom years. He worked at Goose Creek, Humble and Kilgore, all in Texas. He retired after 35 years with, as he would say, "The Gulf". It is known to our generation as Gulf Oil Company then Chevron and at last notice, Valero.

Granddaddy served as a deacon with First Baptist Church in Hempstead. He also enjoyed serving in the local VFW where he was an activist for as he said, "the boys who served". He often called his Congressmen to voice his disapproval, his support or his ideas. Hempstead City Council would hear the same concerns often about his community. His dedication was and is inspiring!

Eugene Sheffield loved the Lord and would preach the virtues of "believing" to anyone who would listen to his testimony. We know our time apart is brief and our heartache in missing him is temporary. We look forward to the family reunion yet to come where we will all be together forever.

As we heard him say so often ~~ "I don't say good-bye. I just say 'so long' until we meet again in that home not built with hands".